Tamalpais High School junior Lily Bogas sits on campus in Mill Valley, Calif. on Thursday, March 14, 2019. She was named CaliforniaÕs 2019 Poetry Out Loud state champion after taking first place in the state finals competition on Monday in Sacramento. (Alan Dep/Marin Independent Journal)

Tam High junior Lily Bogas, 17, competes in the 2019 California Poetry Out Loud State Finals in the Senate chambers of the California State Capitol in Sacramento, Calif. on March 11, 2019. (Photo by Israel M. Costales, Cinnamon Roll Photography, courtesy of the California Arts Council)

Tamalpais High School junior Lily Bogas, 17, holds her 2019 Poetry Out Loud state champion trophy in Mill Valley, Calif. on Thursday, March 14, 2019. Bogas took first place in the state finals competition on Monday in Sacramento. (Alan Dep/Marin Independent Journal)

Tamalpais High School junior Lily Bogas said reciting poetry is more than just speaking words.

“It means you get to open your soul, man,” said Bogas, a 17-year-old actress, singer and dancer from Mill Valley. “It’s about making your audience feel something.”

Her most recent performance was so powerful that it not only made her audience “feel something,” but it won her the title of California’s 2019 Poetry Out Loud state champion. This week, Bogas took first place over 51 other teens in the state finals in Sacramento, earning her spot in the national finals in Washington, D.C. next month.

Over the two-day competition, Bogas recited three poems: “Megan Married Herself” by Caroline Bird, “Shall earth no more inspire thee” by Emily Brontë and “Diameter” by Michelle Y. Burke.

“Lily brought her selected poems to life for everyone watching,” said Anne Bown-Crawford, executive director of the California Arts Council, which hosts the state competition for the national Poetry Out Loud organization. “She will be a strong ambassador at this year’s nationals for the talented, creative youth of California.”

As the daughter of Ed Bogas and Desiree Gayette-Bogas, professional musicians and songwriters, Lily Bogas knew she had a passion for the arts and became a devout drama student at a young age.

She performed in the youth production of “The Wizard of Oz” at Throckmorton Theatre in Mill Valley when she was 12. Bogas was the only high school student in the recent Sonoma State University opera production of “Dido and Aeneas,” in which she played the female lead. She aspires to be an actress in musical theater, she said.

The honor of Poetry Out Loud state champ comes somewhat as a surprise to Bogas, however. She just discovered her affinity for poetry recitation this January when she decided to take a poetry class as an elective, she said.

After hearing her recite a poem in class, Barbara Kurita-Ditz, her poetry teacher and the schools’ Poetry Out Loud liaison, recommended her for the county’s competition.

“It was very apparent from the beginning that she had a proclivity for recitation of poetry,” Kurita-Ditz said. “Certainly, I have not worked with a performer of this caliber in the eight to 10 years I’ve been doing Poetry Out Loud. She really is the strongest.”

The county finals are put on by the Marin Cultural Association, the nonprofit arm of the Marin County Department of Cultural Services. The nonprofit received a $5,000 grant to pay for coordinating the program and poetry coaches.

Coach Claire Blotter, a slam poet, was assigned to Bogas. Blotter said when Bogas performs, she demands attention.

“She knows how to stand up and be present with the tone of the poem,” Blotter said. “Poems are really dense, but she goes so deep and reveals the meaning of the poem. She’s just extraordinary.”

This year, five schools participated in the county finals: The Marin School, the Marin School of the Arts and Tamalpais, Sir Francis Drake and San Marin high schools. One student from each school competed in the county competition.

Gabriella Calicchio, director of the Marin Cultural Association, said she hopes to be able to expand the program to more schools next year.

After winning the county finals in February, Bogas quickly turned her sights toward a state championship, which she won Monday.

“We’re really happy for Lily — happy that she discovered poetry,” Desiree Gayette-Bogas said. “It’s been great to see her grow as a developing young woman who has embraced this form of expression. She has this authenticity … an understanding of what a poem is about and can recite it in an honest way.”

As for Lily Bogas, she’s looking forward to nationals, which take place April 30 through May 1. She’s also gearing up for what’s ahead beyond this school year. She plans to do her senior year at the Marin School of the Arts at Novato High School in the fall and hopes to attend college to pursue a bachelor of fine arts degree in musical theater.

She’s already stepped into the position of a role model, offering advice to her peers: “To any student who is into poetry, or has the opportunity to be part of this organization, do it,” she said. “You have no idea what’s in store for you.”

As state champ, Bogas earned $200 and a trip to Washington, D.C., to compete in the national Poetry Out Loud finals, paid for by the National Endowment for the Arts. Her school will also receive $500 for poetry materials. The Poetry Out Loud national finals presents the opportunity for approximately $50,000 in scholarship funds and related winnings, according to a press release.

Adrian Rodriguez covers transportation, San Rafael and the Ross Valley for the Marin IJ. He also writes the weekly business column Movers & Shakers, which appears in Friday's paper. Reach the author at arodriguez@marinij.com or follow Adrian on Twitter: @adrianrrodri.